Tribal Nations Seek Investor Allies For Self-Determination

BISMARCK, N.D., Sept. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- First Peoples Worldwide joins the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST) for a historic gathering of Native American governments to demand accountability from Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline is slated to cross the tribe's treaty territory and drinking water without Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.

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Thousands of people from across the United States have joined the SRST to protest Energy Transfer Partners' building of the proposed 1,200-mile Dakota Access Pipeline. The SRST has filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop construction. They say they were not properly consulted before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fast-tracked construction approval. A decision in that case is expected by Sep 9. Energy Transfer Partners also has pending lawsuits related to water contamination in four states.

A Shareholder Advocacy Leadership Training (SALT) workshop will be held today, Thursday, Sep 8^th, 9am–4pm at the Bismarck Civic Center, 315 S 5th St, Bismarck, ND, 58504. The training will empower the SRST and other tribes to connect with investors in companies on their land, and demand that the market capture all environmental and social costs of the pipeline. The training is held in partnership with the Tribal Leaders Summit hosted by United Tribes Technical College. It is also open to non-Native landowners along the Dakota Access Pipeline's proposed route.

This training is particularly necessary as protesters were attacked with dogs, and ancient burial sites and places of prayer were destroyed by Energy Transfer Partners last weekend. On Sep 1, the SRST filed court documents identifying the area as home to significant cultural artifacts and sacred sites. According to Tribal Chairman David Archambault II, "this demolition is devastating. These grounds are the resting places of our ancestors. The ancient cairns and stone prayer rings there cannot be replaced. In one day, our sacred land has been turned into hollow ground."

First Peoples Worldwide is an Indigenous-led organization using market-based strategies to advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Contact: Nick Pelosi, First Peoples Worldwide
Email 
917-324-3160

SOURCE First Peoples Worldwide